Rethinking Schools Writing Guidelines

Fall 2003

Overview and General Guidelines

. Rethinking Schools accepts unsolicited manuscripts but, due to the volume of onsolicited manuscripts, cannot guarantee a response.

. E-mail articles are accepted if they are sent as a word-processing attachment.

. If you have a story idea but no manuscript, the best policy is to send a letter on inquiry BRIEFLY outlining what you would like to write, your background in that area, and a brief overview of your published writing.

. Please do not send term papers, master theses, or doctoral dissertations.

Procedure:

1. All articles are read by the Rethinking Schools editorial board. We unfortunately cannot guarantee that articles will be accepted by the board. In most cases, significant revisions are required. About one-fifth of articles submitted are approved.

2. Because Rethinking Schools only publishes four issues a year, we do not have the space to print many worthwhile articles. We give priority to articles dealing with critical topics, based on the perpsective of a classroom teacher, parent, or student. Please do not submit term papers.

3. Rethinking Schools follows writing guidelines more akin to popular magazines than academic journals. Expect articles to be edited to conform to the style and guidelines of magazine journalism.

4. The editors at Rethinking Schools contribute on a volunteer basis; all have full-time jobs. Please be patient and allow eight weeks's response time. We also regret that, due to the number of unsolicited manuscripts, we cannot guarantee that we will have time to respond to unsolicited manuscripts.

5. If you are interested in writing an article that expands upon or modifies a previously published article, please submit the already published article first. The editorial board then can evaluate whether the article is appropriate for Rethinking Schools and how it should be modified.

Format:

1. All articles must be typed, double-spaced, with ample margins. The author's name and a page number must be on every page.

2. The last page should include the author's full name, address, day and evening phone numbers, and a one-sentence biographical statement.

4.If an article is accepted, please submit via a Macintosh computer disk or e-mail, if possible.

5. Please send all articles to Rethinking Schools, Attn: Editorial Dept., 1001 E. Keefe Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53212. They can be e-mailed to: bbpdx@aol.com, with the word "submission to Rethinking Schools" in the subject heading.

Categories:

Essays (600-2,000 words)

. Analysis or critique of current educational policy, theory or practice.

. Review of a book or report.

How-to articles/first-person reflections (200 to 1,500 words. Can be either longer essays or brief suggestions)

. Tips on classroom materials, curriculum and practices to empower students and inspire teachers.

. Practical ideas for overcoming racism, sexism and class bias in the classroom.

. Reflections on a personal experience, such as an organizing project, looking at education from the point of view of a parent, etc.

Student Work

Any length from pre-school through 12th grade on any subject. May include black-and-white drawings, poetry, short essays,. Must include the name, age and school of the student, as well as the phone number of the person submitting the work.

Bibliography

If you have an idea for an annotated bibliography, please contact us first.

Fall 2003